The Building Commission's demolition budget was set by council as $500,000 for the last few years. The department spent about $300,000 already this year, with more demolitions expected this year.

The plan is the city will pay for the demolitions using its Riverboat gaming fund, according to Mayor Lloyd Winnecke's office.

Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Commission Director Ron Beane plans to ask the council for an appropriation from City Council at its next meeting. He's also going to ask them to suspend the rules so the ordinance can be read and passed in the same night.

While the city is paying for the demolition up front, Beane believes the city will recoup part of the money from insurance.

The owners of the building at 217 Main St., Wiener Brothers LLC, reportedly had insurance on the building. About $175,000, the most expensive chunk of the demolition, is for 217 Main.

However, the owner of 219 Main St., Jane Tang, did not have insurance on the building. The city will send Tang a bill for the demolition, if she doesn't pay then the city will place a lien on the property.

The budget constraints stopped the buildings from being razed last week and it could be weeks more while the city waits for the council to reappropriate the money.

Despite the damage and the need for an emergency raze order, the public had full access to 219 Main St. when a Courier & Press visited the scene Tuesday morning.

Fire-damaged Downtown building ruled unstable and in need of emergency demolition is wide open to the public now. pic.twitter.com/76wAwXhdCL

The door at 219 Main St. is unlocked, broken and ajar. What little items stored in the mostly vacant building are charred and littered through out. Shattered glass from the door and the windows are scattered across the sidewalk.

Police tape and barricades that once blocked the public from the buildings are gone. Both 219 and 217 Main are accessible to the public on the Main Street sidewalk and the brick-covered alleyway where the fire started.

Steve Schaefer, Winnecke's chief of staff, said the city would fence the area Tuesday afternoon.

@ECPzachevans City is fencing off the area around 217 & 219 Main Street now....hopefully gets done today depending on weather.

The fire started in trash can leaning on the rear side of 219 Main St. It quickly spread because of untreated fire damage from five years ago, according to fire investigators. The Evansville Fire Department ruled the fire as accidental.

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